Composite Formation of Anthrylene- and Ferrocenoyl-Substituted Phenyleneethynylenes with Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs)

Anthrylene- and ferrocenoyl-assisted composite fabrication was achieved between visible-light absorbing anthrylene- and ferrocenoyl-substituted acetylenic dyes and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The composite formation was confirmed via UV-Vis, Raman, mass, and XPS spectra analyses. In the UV-Vis absorption spectrum, the resulting dye-SWCNT composites showed bathochromic shifts ascribable to the π-π interaction. One-pot fabrication of the composite was also accomplished via Cu-catalyzed dimerization of anthrylene- and ferrocenoyl-substituted terminal ethyne and the subsequent adsorption of the resulting butadiyne dye to SWCNT. We confirmed that the dye-SWCNT composite dispersed in water by using amphiphilic poly(amidoamine)dendrimer could transfer an electron from 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH) to methyl viologen dichloride (MV²⁺) upon irradiation with visible light (>422 nm).